1971: A soldier in the anti-government army of the Sudan holds his Kalashnikov AK-47 automatic rifle at the ready.

1971: A soldier in the anti-government army of the Sudan holds his Kalashnikov AK-47 automatic rifle at the ready.

Photo: John Downing, Getty Images

1971: A soldier in the anti-government army of the Sudan holds his... Photo-5635980.76606 - GreenwichTime

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1976: A Palestinian fighter sticks a portrait of Egyptian President Nasser on the wall of Holiday Inn hotel after Palestinian commando units dislodged Lebanese Christian forces from the 27-story hotel.

1976: A Palestinian fighter sticks a portrait of Egyptian President Nasser on the wall of Holiday Inn hotel after Palestinian commando units dislodged Lebanese Christian forces from the 27-story hotel.

1985: A helmeted, Kalashnikov-armed Iraqi soldier walks among cartridges in the area of the al-Howeizah marshes, Southern Iraq, after his unit clashed violently with Iranian forces which tried to cut the Baghdad-Basra road. less

1985: A helmeted, Kalashnikov-armed Iraqi soldier walks among cartridges in the area of the al-Howeizah marshes, Southern Iraq, after his unit clashed violently with Iranian forces which tried to cut the ... more

1988: Schoolgirls in Islamic veils go through arms training as a Basijis while holding AK-47 automatic assault rifles and standing in front of pictures of martyrs of Iran-Iraq conflict in a mosque in Tehran.

1988: Schoolgirls in Islamic veils go through arms training as a Basijis while holding AK-47 automatic assault rifles and standing in front of pictures of martyrs of Iran-Iraq conflict in a mosque in Tehran.

1991: A fighter with the Revolutionary Democratic Front of the Ethiopian People, pictured in Addis Abba

1991: A fighter with the Revolutionary Democratic Front of the Ethiopian People, pictured in Addis Abba

Photo: Francoise De Mulder, Getty Images

1991: A fighter with the Revolutionary Democratic Front of the... Photo-5636088.76606 - GreenwichTime

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1992: Two Mujahedeen with flowers in the barrels of their AK-47s, guard a crossroads in Herat, Afghanistan, shortly after they retook the city from the Soviet backed communist regime of Mohammad Najibollah.

1992: Two Mujahedeen with flowers in the barrels of their AK-47s, guard a crossroads in Herat, Afghanistan, shortly after they retook the city from the Soviet backed communist regime of Mohammad Najibollah.

Photo: Kaveh Kazemi, Getty Images

1992: Two Mujahedeen with flowers in the barrels of their AK-47s,... Photo-5636236.76606 - GreenwichTime

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1992: A cadet aims a Russian-made AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle at the Syrian Women's Military Academy.

1992: A cadet aims a Russian-made AK-47 Kalashnikov assault rifle at the Syrian Women's Military Academy.

1996: A soldier belonging to a Taliban militia looks down the barrel of his AK-477 assault rifle to check for dirt on the front line north of Kabul. The Taliban warriors, who are believed to have emerged from religious seminaries, or madressas, in Pakistan, took to the Afghan scene in 1994, captured Kabul in 1996 and control two-thirds of Afghanistan, which has been at war for 20 years following the Soviet invasion of 1978. less

1996: A soldier belonging to a Taliban militia looks down the barrel of his AK-477 assault rifle to check for dirt on the front line north of Kabul. The Taliban warriors, who are believed to have emerged from ... more

1998: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) holds an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle with an expanded clip during a press conference calling for the end of a loophole in the law which allows imports of such products.

1998: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) holds an AK-47 semi-automatic rifle with an expanded clip during a press conference calling for the end of a loophole in the law which allows imports of such products.

2003: A US soldier from the 3rd Infantry Division takes a close look at a golden Kalashnikov engraved with an Arabic sentence reading "A gift from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein."

2003: A US soldier from the 3rd Infantry Division takes a close look at a golden Kalashnikov engraved with an Arabic sentence reading "A gift from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein."

Photo: ODD ANDERSEN, Getty Images

2003: A US soldier from the 3rd Infantry Division takes a close... Photo-5636152.76606 - GreenwichTime

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2003: A woman soldier with Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy holds an AK-47 as she waits at a checkpoint.

2003: A woman soldier with Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy holds an AK-47 as she waits at a checkpoint.

Photo: GEORGES GOBET, Getty Images

2003: A woman soldier with Liberians United for Reconciliation and... Photo-5636133.76606 - GreenwichTime

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2003: A Palestinian woman dances with an AK-47, during a rally to mark the 39th anniversary of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement's (Fatah) foundation on December 31, 2003 in Gaza City, Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands of Palestinians gathered at the Palestinian Legislative council to mark the anniversary of the 1965 founding of Fatah. less

2003: A Palestinian woman dances with an AK-47, during a rally to mark the 39th anniversary of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement's (Fatah) foundation on December 31, 2003 in Gaza City, Gaza Strip. ... more

Photo: Abid Katib, Getty Images

2003: A Palestinian woman dances with an AK-47, during a rally to... Photo-5636132.76606 - GreenwichTime

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2003: Palestinian youths march holding AK-47 assault rifles and pictures of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and his sons Uday and Qusay during a memorial ceremony organized by the Popular Resistance Committees in Palestine at the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. less

2003: Palestinian youths march holding AK-47 assault rifles and pictures of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and his sons Uday and Qusay during a memorial ceremony organized by the Popular Resistance ... more

2004: Soldiers from the NKR Defense Army train in close combat with AK-74s inside the barracks in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed region that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

2004: Soldiers from the NKR Defense Army train in close combat with AK-74s inside the barracks in Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed region that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Photo: 1996-98 AccuSoft Inc., All Rights Reserved, Getty Images

2004: Soldiers from the NKR Defense Army train in close combat with... Photo-5636130.76606 - GreenwichTime

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2004: Lieutenant-General Mikhail Kalashnikov inventor of the famous Kalashnikov AK-47 rifle at the launch of Kalashnikov Vodka at Boisdale of Belgrave, London.

2004: Lieutenant-General Mikhail Kalashnikov inventor of the famous Kalashnikov AK-47 rifle at the launch of Kalashnikov Vodka at Boisdale of Belgrave, London.

2005: A guerrilla in charge of the security of the Free Burma Rangers team prays before departing on a mission.
With the help of foreign volunteers, teams of Karen nurses, guerillas and porters travel deep inside Burmese territory with a mission to find and help the hundreds of thousands of ethnic refugees hiding in the jungles from Burmese military terror. Calling themselves the Free Burma Rangers (FBR), they smuggle thousands of dollars of medical aid past the Burmese army lines to their own people.. less

2005: A guerrilla in charge of the security of the Free Burma Rangers team prays before departing on a mission.
With the help of foreign volunteers, teams of Karen nurses, guerillas and porters travel deep ... more

Photo: Thierry Falise, Getty Images

2005: A guerrilla in charge of the security of the Free Burma... Photo-5636136.76606 - GreenwichTime

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2005: A Congolese soldier wearing a Maradona t-shirt and carrying an AKM assault rifle keeps watch at the residence of a Congolese Army colonel in the Gombe neighborhood in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. less

2005: A Congolese soldier wearing a Maradona t-shirt and carrying an AKM assault rifle keeps watch at the residence of a Congolese Army colonel in the Gombe neighborhood in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of ... more

2007: A girl bursts into laughter as she holds a Kalashnikov during a rally devoted to the national holiday celebration, the Day of the Fatherland's Defender, in central Moscow. The activists included members of the radical Red Youth Avant-Garde movement and pensioners carrying portraits of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. less

2007: A girl bursts into laughter as she holds a Kalashnikov during a rally devoted to the national holiday celebration, the Day of the Fatherland's Defender, in central Moscow. The activists included members ... more

Photo: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA, Getty Images

2007: A girl bursts into laughter as she holds a Kalashnikov during... Photo-5636244.76606 - GreenwichTime

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2007: A Karen fighter of the Karen National Liberation Army with an AK-47 rifle at Mah Pokay in Burma.

2007: A Karen fighter of the Karen National Liberation Army with an AK-47 rifle at Mah Pokay in Burma.

Photo: Alex Bowie, Getty Images

2007: A Karen fighter of the Karen National Liberation Army with an... Photo-5636240.76606 - GreenwichTime

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2008: A resident of Tskhinvali holds a Kalashnikov as she celebrates the recognition of South Ossetian independence by the Russian Federation.

2008: A resident of Tskhinvali holds a Kalashnikov as she celebrates the recognition of South Ossetian independence by the Russian Federation.

Photo: VIKTOR DRACHEV, Getty Images

2008: A resident of Tskhinvali holds a Kalashnikov as she... Photo-5636252.76606 - GreenwichTime

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2008: An American soldier plays with a toy AK-47 while on patrol in Sadr City, Iraq.

2008: An American soldier plays with a toy AK-47 while on patrol in Sadr City, Iraq.

Photo: Benjamin Lowy, Getty Images

2008: An American soldier plays with a toy AK-47 while on patrol in... Photo-5636245.76606 - GreenwichTime

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2008: Rusian President Dmitry Medvedev holds a Kalashnikov gun as he visits a plant manufacturing Kalashnikov assault rifles and other firearms in the central Russian city of Izhevsk.

2008: Rusian President Dmitry Medvedev holds a Kalashnikov gun as he visits a plant manufacturing Kalashnikov assault rifles and other firearms in the central Russian city of Izhevsk.

2009: Mikhail Kalashnikov meets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during festivities to celebrate his 90th birthday at the Kremlin in Moscow on November 10, 2009. Kalashnikov declared himself a happy man with few regrets as he celebrated his 90th birthday. less

2009: Mikhail Kalashnikov meets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev during festivities to celebrate his 90th birthday at the Kremlin in Moscow on November 10, 2009. Kalashnikov declared himself a happy man ... more

2009: A Belarus special forces soldier fires a Kalashnikov machine gun as rank-and-file soldiers undergo a rigorous physical examination for the "Madder Beret" outside Minsk. Soldiers who pass the examinations receive a burgundy-colored Madder Beret and become members of the special forces. less

2009: A Belarus special forces soldier fires a Kalashnikov machine gun as rank-and-file soldiers undergo a rigorous physical examination for the "Madder Beret" outside Minsk. Soldiers who pass the examinations ... more

2012: Cindy Sparr boxes a AK-47 style rifle purchased by a customer at Freddie Bear Sports sporting goods store in Tinley Park, Illinois. Americans purchased a record number of guns in 2012 and gun makers have reported a record high in demand. less

2012: Cindy Sparr boxes a AK-47 style rifle purchased by a customer at Freddie Bear Sports sporting goods store in Tinley Park, Illinois. Americans purchased a record number of guns in 2012 and gun makers have ... more